Israelis grab the limelight at Jazzahead

Judging by the artistic offerings, there's great demand for improvisational music across Europe.

Oran Etkin with his quartet 370.
(photo credit:www.jazzahead.de)

Last week’s Jazzahead gathering in Bremen, Germany, was a fillip for the heart
of an ardent Israeli jazz fan. The annual international jazz trade fair in the
north German city has run since 2006 and, judging by the artistic offerings, and
the masses of patrons and exhibitors, there is great demand for improvisational
music across Europe.

The four-day event (April 19-22) was chock-full of
gigs by acts from all over the world, although the accent was very much on
European bands, with 30- to 45-minute musical slots taking place simultaneously
in the afternoons at two auditoriums at the Messe Exhibition
Center.

Meanwhile, representatives of jazz record labels and jazz
festivals did brisk business with other industry professionals, and plain old
jazz lovers.

If there is any criticism at all of this increasingly
popular event, it is that it was all a bit overwhelming for the Israeli jazz
aficionado, used to less populous musical gatherings in this country. I did my
best to grab as many of the quality acts in the musical program as possible,
which included star turns by a number of Israeli artists.

Drummer Ziv
Ravitz kept the energy flowing fast and furious at the concert by German pianist
Florian Weber’s Minsarah Electric trio, and he reappeared as a guest in Germany-
based Israeli pianist Omer Klein’s solo show.

Other afternoon gigs of
particular note included a highly entertaining show by the Trondheim Jazz
Orchestra from Norway, and a performance by the quintet of British pianist Kit
Downes, who recently played at the Levontin 7 club in Tel
Aviv.

Meanwhile, the Lighthouse trio, of British-based Israeli drummer
Asaf Sirkis, pianist Gwilym Simcock and saxophonist- clarinetist Tim Garland,
performed material from their latest eponymous release for the German ACT record
label, and the mostly Dutch-based Levantasy quartet, with Israeli oboist-shofar
player Yoram Lachish, also drew an enthusiastic response from the
audience.

From 8 p.m. the focus of entertainment moved to the nearby
impressive Schlachthof venue, originally designed as a slaughterhouse in the
19th century. Here, too, there was frontline Israeli interest, with
American-based reedman Oran Etkin leading a quartet of players from France, Mali
and Guinea, mixing West African-based output with jazz, blues and
klezmer.

Other Schlachthof standouts included Norwegian-born
Denmark-based saxophonist Marius Neset’s Golden Explosion quartet, while the
British Just East band wove a wide range of ethnic and classical textures into
its show.

The most exciting development, of local interest, is that
Israel will be the partner country of Jazzahead 2013, which means the first
evening of the event will be devoted to the artists from this
country.

“Israel is a melting pot of many different cultures of the world
which has created one of the most interesting music scenes, not only in Europe
and the Near East, but in the world,” said Jazzahead artistic director Ulrich
Beckerhoff.

“This fact will, in 2013, be presented to the world by
Jazzahead, the most important jazz event in Europe.”

It looks like
Israeli jazz is doing well outside the borders of our own small, culture
cash-strapped country.